Epidemic!

Pandemic viruses have had dramatic impacts on South County for centuries. Join the South County History Center as we explore some of these health epidemics, including the history of smallpox presented by Dr. Ashley Bissonnette of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center and the 1918 flu presented by Dr. Kenneth McIntosh, professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard School of Public Health and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. An exhibit of medical artifacts from the Center’s collection will be on display before and after the program.

Photo: 1918 public health notice, courtesy of National Library of Medicine

This program is presented as part of the Center's series "Resilient Rhode Island: Disasters & Determination in the Ocean State." The series is made possible through major funding support from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities seeds, supports and strengthens public history, cultural heritage, civic education and community engagement by and for all Rhode Islanders.